Hundreds gather at Ride For Boobies

Published June 6, 2013 at 9:58 am

Hundreds of motorcycles, many of them sporting brightly colored bras in keeping with the Pink Ribbon Riders tradition, descended upon Bock this past Saturday morning for the fourth annual Ride For Boobies breast cancer fundraiser.

Milaca resident Cheryl Albertson began organizing Bock’s Ride For Boobies more than four years ago. Since then, the event has grown from the original few dozen motorcycle enthusiasts who participated that first year to the more than 370 motorcycles and classic cars that made the 150-mile trek last year. This past Saturday, June 1 hundreds of bikes gathered in Bock to support families dealing with breast cancer.

Alberston began volunteering for Pink Ribbon Riders, the nonprofit group that financially helps people receiving breast cancer treatment, for the past seven years. Her involvement with the cause stemmed from the battle her sister, former Milaca resident Pam Bye (Sienko) had with breast cancer and ultimately lost in 2010 when she succumbed to the disease.

“We’ve had a lot of support from the community,” Alberston said about her reasons for continuing to organize the ride. “Milaca has been wonderful at donating, and all the bars are great. The Bock sponsors (Kountry Kettle and Fat Jack’s) have been just wonderful.”

As the event has grown, so too has the amount the group has been able to donate to Pink Ribbon Riders, which helps survivors and their families dealing with the disease. All money donated to the Pink Ribbon Riders stays in Minnesota.

“We started with 70 the first year, the second year we had 130,” Albertson said. “Last year we had 377 bikes and classic cars and we donated just over $10,000.”

For the full story, see the Thursday, June 6 print edition of the Times.